DanganRWBY
by LunasyG
Summary: When a recon mission goes wrong, Fifteen Hunters and Huntresses wake up in an unknown Academy, A school headed none other by Monobear! Graduation means Murder, Victory means Betrayal. Who joins in on the dance of death and who succumbs to the horror? Danganronpa AU WARNING: Deaths will be brutal and frequent!
1. Chapter 1: Acceptance Letter

**Hey there everyone! This is my first Fanfic, so we'll see how it goes!**

**I've always wanted to do a deathball style RWBY fic, since it's the characters are so fleshed out.**

**As for the story itself, I believe i'm going to stick fairly closely to Danganronpa's show. At least for the beginning :D**

**Also, Characters will be killed, ships will be sunk, and minds will be broken (I'm evil. :D) So keep that in mind.**

**Finally, Big shoutout to Pyroheaven for editing some(most he says) of my bad writing.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

_Acceptance Letter._

* * *

To say Yang wasn't particularly happy with her current situation was an understatement.

"There's. Just. So. Many!" Yang exclaimed, letting lose a barrage from Ember Cecilia, decimating a number of Beowolves in front of her. But for each one that fell, five more took their place.

Yang glanced around the battlefield. Currently, five teams were fighting endless numbers of Grimm. There were hundreds, their black and white figures spread as far as Yang could see.

Yang had figured the mission Ozpin had assigned to them would be dangerous, given he sent this many Hunters and Huntresses-in training, but Yang didn't suspected it to be this abysmal.

The teams RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL were mentored by team CFVY on this reconnaissance mission, along with SSSN, who had been lent from Sanctum. Contact from a large village outside of Vale had been lost, and it had been speculated that Grimm had overrun it. Yang figured Ozpin was playing it safe, sending this many Hunters out on a mission. The first two days were uneventful. The outskirts of the village had been Grimm free, although it looked as if a bomb had been dropped. And so on day three, Coco decided to enter the center of the village to get a better understanding of what had occurred.

And so here they were, knee deep in Grimm, spread out in a semicircle, their backs to the town hall. It looked as if it had simply been abandoned, untouched by the Grimm.

"Teams RWBY and JNPR! Begin to fall back! Head for the doors behind us!" Yang heard Coco's orders as she sent a Minor Ursa flying into a Beowulf.

"Sis, let's get moving!" She heard her little sister shout. Yang began to back up as Ruby unleashed a volley of covering fire for Yang.

"Thanks, Sis!" Yang glanced behind her to see her other two teammates retreating as well. Blake and Weiss quickly moved to Ruby's position, before the four of them began to head towards a set of double doors.

"I don't think now's a good time to say it, but that building does look like some sort of school…" Blake commented as she threw Gambol Shroud to her left to stop a Beowulf's approach.

"You don't say!" Weiss retorted, before impaling an Ursa leaping toward her.

In short time, team RWBY had reached the entrance. Jaune was there as well, coordinating with Pyrrha to keep as many Grimm at bay as possible. Nora, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of death, her Magnhild sending groups of Grimm flying. Ren was backing her up, doing what little he could to prevent the overly excited girl from getting surrounded.

"Ruby, in here!" Jaune called out to Ruby as he struggled with the heavy doors. Yang and Ruby ran towards the doors, shoving them open with a bit of difficulty. Ruby and Jaune stepped in, Ruby slammed Crescent Rose into the ground, providing cover for the rest of their party.

Outside, the other three teams had been retreating towards the door. Yang could see the wall of Grimm corpses in front of Coco and her team, and wondered just how many those four took out. Coco's chaingun seemed to never pause, mowing down rows upon rows of Grimm. Fox was currently standing on a pile of Major Ursa Corpses, and Yatsuhashi was covering Velvet's back. Coco glanced back towards Yang and her group, and waved her hand. With a fluid motion, Team CFVY began to retreat towards the entrance. Team SSUN and CRDL had already began retreating, but CRDL looked as if they were struggling. A duo of deathstalkers had approached them, Dove and Sky struggling to keep them at bay.

"Pyrrha, cover Cardin!" Jaune shouted to the redhead, who had been standing at the door covering with her rifle. Pyrrha gave a quick nod before leaping into the fray.

"Weiss, Blake! Get inside!" Ruby shouted to her two comrades, they turned around, dashing through the entrance to the building. Weiss collapsed into a sitting position on the floor, and Blake leaned up against a wall, out of breath.

Nora and Ren were next to get inside the building. Nora, to Yang's surprise, looked a little fatigued. But only for a second as she put Magnihild into grenade-launcher mode and let lose a barrage of grenades into the Grimm, laughing in delight. Ren, a bit more fatigued, put his hands on his knees, panting.

Sun and Neptune barreled through the door, just before a King Taijutsu slithered up, blocking off the rest of Sun's team.

"Scarlet! Sage!" Sun yelled out to his comrades. "Hang on, we're coming!", but before Sun could reach the door, Coco shouted, "Back away from the door and GET DOWN!", as she aimed her minigun towards the giant two-headed snake. Yang dove to the ground as fast as she could as the roar of Coco's minigun struck her ears. But after a quarter of a second of firing, the deafening noise is replaced by a distinct clicking noise. Yang glanced up to see the black King Taijutsu head release and earsplitting screech while the white head let loose a vicious strike towards Sage.

Yang saw Coco's face, a mixture of anger and frustration as she transformed her chaingun into a handbag. She wasted no time without her gun, smashing an Ursa square in the face and sending it flying. She began sprinting towards the door, the rest of CFVY following close behind.

Coco stepped in, practically snarling to herself. She turned back to examine the situation outside the door as Yang and Ruby stepped up beside her.

"I would say the situation is getting Grimm." Yang remarked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Shut it." Coco completely ignored the blonde's terrible stab at humor. "Of all the times to be out of ammo…" She muttered.

"Coco! What are we going to do about the others out there?" Ruby urgently asked her leader. Coco grimaced, knowing full well the predicament they were in. Yang looked outside to see Fox, Velvet and Yatsuhashi making their move for the door, with Pyrrha, Cardin, and Russel close behind them. The deathstalker lay crumpled some distance away, but Dove and Sky were nowhere in sight. Yang began to worry how many wouldn't make it out.

Fox was the first to reach the rest, cutting a swathe through the Grimm who attempted to close the hunters' escape. Fox waltzed in through the door, and with one fluid motion swiped the blood off his claws. It would have looked elegant, had Coco not stepped in. With a rough slap on the back and a "Good hustle out there," Fox stumbled to the ground.

One by one, the others outside began to stumble into the doorway. Cardin and Russel entered first, followed by Pyrrha. Cardin and Russel collapsed on the ground, nearly passed out. Pyrrha was in much better shape, but was exhausted nonetheless.

Next came Velvet flying in, literally. Velvet was thrown face first into the doorway, crashing into Coco. Immediately she scrambled to her feet, eyes watering.

"Yatsuhashi! Yatsu no!" Velvet was yelling at the top of her lungs. It took Yang a moment to process what had happened. Velvet seemed to have lagged behind, and because of that got surrounded by Grimm. Yatsuhashi had barged his way to her, clearing all the Grimm in the process. Grabbing Velvet, he had thrown her towards the door in an effort to get her through.

"YATSUHASHI!" Velvet screamed again, tears beginning to streak down her face. Sun as well looked very upset, trying to head towards the door to get the other members of his team, but Blake and Neptune were holding him back. Cardin and Russel were in a daze, unmoving, unsure of what to do.

Before anyone could think of anything, however, Yang felt an odd shiver run down her spine.

The last thing she remembered was her head hitting the floor.


	2. Chapter 2: Enrollment

**I hate introductory chapters i have now learned. I just want to get to the juicy drama.**

**But alas, it's necessary.**

**I decided to follow Danganronpa's intro fairly closely, and I think it worked out.**

**Enjoy! :D**

**Also Thank You Pyroheaven!**

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

_Enrollment._

* * *

"Gah! Hah… Hahh... Hah… W-Where am I?" Jaune woke up, terrified and confused. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of Death giving him a good pat on the back. He lifted his head up. This didn't look anything like the abandoned building they had entered. Jaune realized he was in what looked like a classroom, but not like any he had seen in Beacon. The room looked like it was both in heavy use and little use at the same time. At the very least, it didn't look like an abandoned classroom, but what was odd about the room was the windows. They were boarded up, covered in sheet metal, with oversized wooden screws of various sizes bored into them. Even stranger was the small security camera hanging just above the teacher's desk. It unsettled him more than anything else about the room.

Jaune realized he had been sleeping in a dusty desk. He stood up, the chair giving a screech. He had about a billion questions running through his mind. Where was he? Where was his team … or anybody for that matter? Are they alive? What about the Grimm? OH CRAP!

Jaune instinctively reached down to his waist, only to realize Crocea Mors was not there. He collapsed into the chair again, holding his head in his hands.

"Oh no, no no no. I can't have lost it. I know I didn't misplace it. Oh god if Dad finds out it's gone, I'm dead. Oh god!"

Jaune sat there for a good while imagining the countless ways he'd die. After all, losing your family's heirloom and most prized possession is only a small problem. Right?

It occurred to Jaune that there were more pressing issues, figuring out where he was for one. So he decided to give the room a quick search. He checked in each of the desks' drawers, before his attention was drawn to the chalkboard. Scribbled on it was a message that read:

'Meet in the Gym by 7:30 p.m. If you do not show up, I'll kill you upupu!'

Jaune glanced at the clock hanging above the chalkboard.

7:28 p.m.

"Shit!" Jaune cried out as he bolted out the door.

* * *

Jaune burst into the gym out of breath. He hadn't had any idea where to go, so he ended up sprinting randomly around the school to find it.

His fear of lost teammates was unfounded. He immediately spotted Ruby and her team conversing. Close by were Pyrrha, Ren and Nora, along with Cardin and Russel lounging about.

He looked towards where team RWBY was quietly conversing. Jaune couldn't hear what they were saying, but Yang had a look of worry on her face. Blake was next to Yang, her nose buried in a book.

_Where- What? How did she get a book already?_ Jaune had to admit, it was impressive.

Ren was listening in on RWBY's conversation silently. Even Nora was lacking her trademark carefree attitude.

Pyrrha was staring towards the entrance. She had a look of extreme worry, but the minute Jaune caught her sight a warm smile appeared on her face.

Cardin and Russel looked relaxed, but Jaune could see how shaken up they were. Dove and Sky were nowhere to be found, and Cardin looked like he had seen the Major Ursa again.

And then there was team CFVY, who had distanced themselves from the others. Coco and Foxx were both standing silently, Foxx having a clear look of dissatisfaction on his face. Coco also had a displeased face, but she was currently dealing with another issue.

Velvet was an utter wreck. She stood timidly by Coco's side, trembling and sniffling every so often. Jaune could see the red around her eyes. Yatsuhashi not making it must have hit her extremely hard. Coco had an arm around her, trying her best to console her.

Jaune walked up to greet his comrades. Ruby flashed a small smile in his direction as he entered the circle.

"Well, looks like tall, blonde and scraggily made it at last." Weiss remarked with a smirk.

"Thanks Weiss." Jaune realized she was just trying to lighten the mood a bit. "I'm glad everyone made it in."

"Not everyone," Ruby replied sadly. Jaune followed her gaze towards Velvet. "Plus, Sun and Neptune are missing too. And Yatsuhashi, Sky, and Dove never made it in…"

Jaune looked over to Cardin. "Cardin, we'll find them. Don't worry." Cardin only gave a small nod in response.

"I'm sure they're safe." Pyrrha chimed in. Ren nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, where are we?" Jaune asked everyone, along with, "And where's my Crocea Mors?! I'm dead."

"Jaune, none of us have our weapons," Pyrrha responded. She gave a hand motion to show that Milo and Akouo were gone.

"I'm gonna break the legs of whoever stole Magnihild!" Nora exclaimed while clenching her fists.

_Scary!_

Jaune glanced around, confirming that no one present had their weapons. Coco looked especially displeased to not have her handbag. Foxx was also fiddling with his hands, as if to fill the void his missing claws left.

"Yep, and Ruby's in total freak-out mode without her precious weapon." Yang cheerfully spoke up while rubbing the top of her younger sister's head. Ruby tried to brush off her sister's hand.

"No I'm not. Sis stop!"

"Yes you are. You've got to be the only person on the planet who calls their weapon 'my precious.'" Yang began laughing cheerfully, continuing to tease Ruby.

"Yang, that's enough." Blake spoke up, her nose still in the book. Jaune was surprised she was paying attention. Then again, Jaune didn't know too much about Blake…

"Heyo Guys!" A cheerful voice rang out from the entrance. Everyone turned to see Neptune and Sun walking in. "What's?"

"How are you so carefree?" Blake questioned, more to herself than to Sun. Jaune agreed, though. Of everyone here, Sun certainly seemed the least worried.

Ruby stepped up to Sun. "It looks like you're fine Sun." Sun gave a thumbs up. Ruby leaned past Sun. "And Neptune, I take it you're fine as well."

Neptune looked at Ruby, hesitating for a moment. "Y-yea. I'm good. I'm cool," He exclaimed, straightening up and flashing a smile.

Pyrrha and Ruby caught the two boys up to speed on what they knew. Jaune began to head over towards Coco's group when he was interrupted. With a buzz, the loudspeaker clicked on.

"Ah, Welcome Students! Congratulations on your enrollment to my School! I'm your president-" And with that the loudspeaker switched off.

Jaune looked over towards the other end of the gym. There lay a pedestal and a few assorted flowers. Jaune couldn't believe he had missed it entering.

Even more surprising was what popped up on top of the pedestal. It looked like a stuffed teddy bear, but it wasn't brown. It was black and white, split down the middle, vertically. On its white half, its face looked happy, fit with a smile. The other half frightened Jaune. Its eye was wicked, red, and gave off the feeling of a Grimm. Coupled with a saw tooth grin, Jaune filed the strange stuffed animal under creepy in his mind.

The bear appeared to be remote controlled, at the very least. It stood on top of the pedestal and grabbed the microphone near it. "I'm your principal of Veil Academy, Monobear! I'll be your principal until you graduate!" The bear said in a high-pitched tone.

"School? Graduation?" Ruby asked the stuffed toy, confused.

"Correct!" Monobear replied. "You fifteen students are now enrolled in my academy! Congratulations!"

"Nonsense!" Weiss spoke up. "We are already proud students of our respective academies! We want to be sent back!"

"Ah, but that won't happen, Pretty Princess. Your headmasters have already accepted the transfer request Upupupu!" Fear washed over Jaune.

"That… That can't be true!" Pyrrha cried out. Jaune agreed, there was no way Ozpin would have agreed to this.

Right?

"Y-Yea there's no way that's the case!" Jaune cried out. He looked around, noticing the fear creeping into everyone's faces. Surely they were all thinking the same thing.

"So assume we play your 'game.'" Blake stepped forward, her book held in her left arm. She stared directly at Monobear. "How would we graduate?"

Monobear gave a fierce smile, before bringing a paw up to cover his mouth as he chuckled. "Upupu, Cat-girl you are a quick one! I'll tell you how to graduate. It's really easy. All you have to do is murder one of your comrades and get away with it!" He threw his arms up in the air. "If you do, you graduate while everyone else DIES! If you are found guilty, there will be an execution waiting for you! Upupupu-"

"Cut the Crap!" Coco cut Monobear off as if she had put a knife to his throat. "I want to know where our weapons are. I'm not going to deal with you or your… your dumbass ideas you doll!"

Steam began erupting out of Monobear's ears, and he started stomping his feet on the pedestal.

"Oooooh! How Rude! To call me a doll, I should rip your heart out right here! But I'm nice... So I'll tell you. Weapons of that sort aren't allowed on campus, so I confiscated them! Those things are quite dangerous, and it'd be too easy to murder with them. Especially for you, hammer girl!" Monobear pointed at Nora, who tilted her head in confusion. "You and your hammer are more than a handful! Upupupu!" Monobear laughed on top of the pedestal.

"T-Tell me where Yastu is! And… And everyone else! W-What did you do to them?!" Velvet, still tear-ridden, yelled at Monobear. Jaune had never heard Velvet raise her voice like that. She looked furious. Even Monobear faltered, only to immediately recover.

"Upupupu. I only accept 15 students to my academy, and those ones were no good! So I transferred them! They won't be attending this school at all."

"I'm asking where YATSU IS!" Coco stepped in and held Velvet from behind, trying to calm her fury.

"Shh, Velv, it'll be ok." Coco spoke in a soothing tone, for her at least. Jaune knew Velvet cared for her team, but Velvet looked like she would tear Jaune's throat out if it meant getting Yatsuhashi back.

"Ahhhh, anyway…" Monobear coughed into his paw. "I'll start going over the academy rules. First, no attacking the principal. Punishable by death!"

"Second, there are lots of areas you can visit, but you must stay on the first floor for now. Also, opening a locked door means death! Upupupu."

"Uh, How will we know which doors are locked?" Jaune asked. Monobear looked at him strangely, before laughing.

"Upupu. What a stupid question!"

"Really was." Ruby commented.

"Ahhhh, third, you will all be given individual dorm rooms. 'Nighttime' is from 10pm to 7am. There are some areas closed during this time. Fourth, sleeping anywhere other than your room is not allowed! If you're caught sleeping in class-"

"You die?" Yang muttered.

Monobear twirled and gave a thumbs up. "That's right Upupu!"

"Now where was I? Oh! Fifth, you cannot destroy the cameras!" The stuffed bear formed an x with his arms. "That's a big no, and you will be punished."

_This is like a prison_. _ No wait, this is more like an insane asylum!_

"And the last rule I already said. If you murder someone and get away with it, you will graduate. If not," Monobear's black side smiled. "I get to execute you." Jaune felt a chill run down his spine, just before Monobear straightened up, losing his malicious aura.

"Well then, that's all the rules. Any questions?"

Blake was the first to speak up. "How long are we enrolled for?"

"Until you graduate! Or die. Whichever comes first, upupu"

Pyrrha spoke up next. "What if two people work together? Do they both graduate?" Jaune did not expect Pyrrha to give in to Monobear's scheme so easily.

"Ahhh, well, only one person can graduate at a time. So one of you would be executed. Or both if you rat each other out Upupup!" Monobear howled in delight.

Monobear waited a brief moment for any other questions. Once he realized there were no more,

"All right. I will show you to your rooms. Remember, 'Night-time' starts at 10!"

And with that, Monobear disappeared behind the pedestal. Immediately Yang, Weiss, Ren, and Coco walked up to the pedestal and began searching around it.

"Huh? Where'd he go?" Yang began searching the floor around the pedestal. "Is there a trapdoor or something?"

"Wouldn't surprise me," Coco replied. "Seems that doll has plenty of tricks up its sleeve."

"Say, did you, do you guys think what he said was true?" Weiss asked sounding concerned. "That we got transferred?"

"I'm not sure" Yang stared at the pedestal. "I'm not too sure at all."

"We don't have many options. It's best just to go along with him." Ren finally spoke.

"Yea... We'll probably find another way out anyway!" Weiss said as she folded her arms.

_I don't know who you're trying to act tough for_…

"Hey Neptune! Let's go get some snacks at the cafeteria!" Sun called out to his blue haired buddy, a stupid grin on his face. Neptune gave a small smile and trotted over; however, Jaune could see how nervous Neptune was, at least compared to Sun. The two of them walked out the door, presumably headed towards the cafeteria.

"He doesn't have a care in the world, does he?" Ruby spoke as she walked up next to Jaune.

"Yea. It'd be nice to be that relaxed." Ruby gave a slight nod. She understood as a fellow team leader how stressed he felt.

"There's Sun-relaxed, and then there's Blake-relaxed." Ruby pointed towards her feline friend with a giggle. Blake still had her nose buried in the book, but after noticing Ruby's pointing, she raised her eyebrows. Ruby gave a slight wave, and Blake nodded, refocusing on her book.

Ruby walked over towards the exit. "Guys," She called out. "I think it's best if we get some sleep. We can start searching for clues and stuff tomorrow."

Most gave a nod of approval, and began heading out. Yang had to bump Blake on the head to get her attention. Blake was not amused, until she noticed everyone had started to head out.

Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora stopped by Jaune. He gave his nod of approval. He thought Ruby was right, a good night's sleep would go a long way.

Assuming he could sleep tonight.


	3. Chapter 3: Classes Begin

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

_Classes Begin_

* * *

With a smooth motion, Blake placed her scroll on the small black box. It gave a small noise of approval, and the door next to it creaked open a hair.

Blake stepped into her room. For a single occupant room, it was way over the top. It was maybe half the size of the dorm her team shared back at Beacon, but with just her staying there it felt spacious. Size wasn't the only factor; Blake had never seen a dorm room, hotel room even, that was as fancy as this. The wallpaper was a magnificent red, embroidered with a golden pattern. The lighting was immaculate, albeit the source coming from overhead fluorescent lights. The desk and side tables were of a wood Blake had never seen, but she could smell the pleasant aroma as she closed the door behind her.

Placing the book she was still holding onto the desk, she noticed all the accessories that were on the desk. The obvious being a candlelit lamp, but along with it came an assortment of pens, paper, and even a journal. Blake silently thanked Monobear for the journal. She could still update her personal one at Beacon from … wherever she was now.

Despite all the niceties, Blake could still see the result of Monobear's obsession with keeping a close watch. There was a security camera in the far right corner of the ceiling. On the wall, opposite of the desk, there looked to be a TV monitor. Blake sighed. She figured it was too much to ask for a little bit of privacy in this asylum.

She strode over and sat down on the bed, and noting how comfortable it was, contemplated sleeping. But she decided it was best to go back over what she knew.

Blake took some twisted pride in knowing she was one of the most collected of the fifteen hunters-in-training there. Her childhood and time spent in the White Fang unfortunately steeled her fairly well. But how about the others? She knew there was panic rising in the deepest corners of a few of their heads. She figured Weiss was too prideful to break, and Ruby is probably too innocent to be able to murder anyone. Plus they were her teammates. Of course there was Nora, who probably wasn't worried in the slightest, considering she wouldn't have thought too hard on their situation. And then there was Sun, who either was a great actor, or was actually carefree enough to shake it off.

Blake's gaze wandered towards the side table on the opposite side of the room. On it was quite an interesting decoration. It looked to be a pedestal of sorts, but made of a wood completely outclassing the table it was on. A small golden rod about a foot long with a black handle one end rested on the table. Blake stood up and strode towards it.

_This is just ruthless._

Blake's face dropped upon recognizing what it was. She grabbed the black end, and pulled away from the rod. Out came a blade a foot long, perfectly sharpened. Blake held the short sword loosely in her hands, realizing just how cruel Monobear was.

_He's even prepared for students who can't handle the pressure._

She gave the short sword a quick spin in her hand before catching it reverse grip and stabbing it directly into the table. It sunk a good 7 inches into the table. Blake pulled it out easily, astounded at how sharp the little sword was.

Blake realized she had gotten distracted by the knife. But she had to admit it felt as if Monobear had planned for nearly every action students would make, their reactions, their fear, their outbursts. Which begged the question: Who was pulling Monobear's strings?

Blake figured, like any other sane person, that a remote controlled teddy bear could not be in charge of this. She also concluded that this was most likely not the White Fang's doing.

_This is such a roundabout method of murder, and for fifteen hunters and huntresses no less. There's no way they'd expend so many resources like this._

Blake thought about any other criminal organizations she knew. She had a good idea someone was using the White Fang for their own motives, but she had no idea what for or who was behind it.

Could it be as Monobear said? That Ozpin was on board with this plan? What if this was one of his tests? What if this was Ozpin getting rid of us?

At that point, Blake shook her head vigorously. There was no point thinking about all the 'what-if's' in this scenario. That would only lead to panic. What was important now is that she look at things calmly and rationally.

_I should really get to sleep then._ She realized that some of her comrades would not be able to sleep well tonight…

* * *

Blake stepped into the cafeteria. There, sitting at one of the long tables, were Ruby, Weiss, Coco, and Velvet. Blake glanced at the clock as she strode towards them: 9:50. They had agreed 10 AM was a suitable time, but she figured being early never hurt.

Ruby gave her a big smile and a wave. She took a seat between Weiss and Ruby, and she swore she caught Weiss frown. Coco looked exhausted, and Velvet was still distraught. Still, Velvet gave a small smile to her Faunus friend.

"Hey Blake! I was just saying I can't believe how nice the rooms are! I thought they'd be dingy and icky, but I'm impressed!" Ruby was a mile a minute, just full of energy this morning. Blake almost chided herself for thinking Ruby would be down.

"They weren't THAT nice. For a school, yes they seemed nice, but they aren't anything I'd write home about." Weiss retorted.

"Oh. So it doesn't suit your taste, Princess?" Ruby scowled.

"Heiress actually." Both Weiss and Blake responded immediately. Blake turned to glare at the Schnee girl, who, in turn, did the same. Blake glared for a brief moment before breaking out into laughter, as did Weiss.

"You all seem cheerful as ever." As Blake and Weiss were laughing, Jaune and Pyrrha entered the cafeteria.

"Is it uncanny that you two walk in together?" Blake retorted. Pyrrha blushed a bit and began to wave her hands, but Jaune just scratched the back of his head.

"Ahahaha nooo! We just ran into each other in the hallway. That's all." Jaune and Pyrrha took a seat next to Coco. They began idly chatting with Ruby and Weiss. Blake, sensing that the attention on her was dwindling, pulled out the book she'd been reading.

As 10:00 neared, the other hunters and huntress began trickling in. They joined the table, some talkative, others staying quiet. It was both anxious and relaxing to Blake waiting for the others. Surely everyone would show up.

Surely no one had committed a murder on the first night.

Right?

By 10:15, all but three people had shown up: Yang, Neptune and Sun. Blake wasn't worried at that point. Seeing a Yang before 2:30 on a day off was rare. She was quite the sleeper.

As Blake glanced at Ruby, who also knew about Yang's sleeping habits, the other two missing persons entered the room.

"Hey everyone! Sorry for being late! Neptune takes freaking forever to get ready." Sun walked in, Neptune right behind him.

"What are you talking about!? You woke up five minutes ago!" Neptune retorted.

"And I was still ready before you. You take ages."

Neptune threw his arms up in the air. "That's because you know absolutely nothing about fashion! You just throw on whatever and run with it!"

"Fashion Smashion. You just like wearing fancy crap."

"It's fashionable!"

"You two can stop fighting now." Yang interjected as she walked into the cafeteria. "We can have a fashion talk later tonight if you want." She added with a smile.

As the three jokers took their seats, they were interrupted-

"Salutations!" –by another person entering the room.

"Gahh! Penny where did you come from!?" Ruby screeched.

"I just finished my boot up sequence." Penny received many confusing stares from the others.

"S-She just woke up!" Ruby quickly covered her robotic friend, before turning to her. "Penny! How did you get here?"

"Well, my father sent me out to the abandoned town to help you guys. But I arrived late, and you all were nowhere to be found. And then I got hit from behind, and woke up here."

Ruby looked back towards the group, and noticed how confused some people were. Fox looked ready to tear her throat out if needed. "Uh, this is Penny, she's a… She's a friend from out of Vale. She's trustworthy! I promise." Ruby spoke out to the others. Yang and Weiss rose and stood next to Ruby to indicate their trust.

No one objected to Penny's appearance, so Ruby turned to the robot girl. "You've heard about, about this place right? How we 'graduate' and stuff?"

"Yes. Yes I have." Penny nodded in agreement. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do about it though…"

"Let's not worry about that now. We've got more important issues." Jaune interrupted, waving a sheet of paper above.

Everyone sat down around the cafeteria table. Blake felt a bit too crowded in.

"Anyway, Monobear left us with things to do. First on there is food. There's a whole fancy kitchen, but we have to cook it ourselves. My idea was that a few of us would be on cooking duty."

"I like that idea." Pyrrha jumped in. "We should make it at least two though, for safety."

"I agree. So, does anyone want to be a cook? If not, I'm willing to."

"OOH! OOH! Ren makes the best pancakes. They're likethemostdeliciousthingeverohmygod!" Nora jumped up and down.

Jaune turned toward his comrade. "Are you okay with that? Also, can you cook more than pancakes?" Ren gave a small nod. "Don't get me wrong Nora! Pancakes are delicious, but we can't have them all day every day." Blake could see Jaune had just dodged a very dangerous situation.

"Why not?" Nora asked, as if it were the most basic of knowledge. Ren sighed, knowing all too well this was an argument not worth fighting.

"Uhhhhhhh…." Jaune was at a loss at what to say. He looked to Ren for advice, but he just shook his head while trying to calm the overly energetic girl down.

"Velv, I think you should." On the otherside of the table, Blake caught Coco whispering to Velvet. "It'd be a good way to calm down." Velvet gave a small nod before standing up.

"U-Uh, I'd, I would like to, if it is possible." Velvet timidly spoke up. Jaune gave a warm smile to the rabbit girl.

"Ok. That settles our food crisis. The kitchen should just be pass those doors." Jaune pointed to a set of metal doors across the room. "Now, onto the next thing. It's a, well. It's a message from Monobear. I guess I'm just supposed to read it."

"No, let's guess on what it's gonna say." Fox remarked sarcastically. Jaune tried to brush it off by coughing into his fist.

"Anyway, 'Since it's all of your first days here, today is meant to be for Exploration! So go explore Upupupupu.'"

"He, uh, surely likes that laugh of his." Yang muttered aloud.

"Well I think we should split into groups." Ruby declared.

"I propose groups of 4" Pyrrha added. "It's a nice balance. Any objections?" No one raised any.

"Ok. So Teams RWBY and JNPR work… Penny, could you go with Coco and Velvet?"

"I'm down with that, though I don't know how I got to be taking orders from you." Coco replied.

"And you think I wanna take orders from either of you?" Fox added.

"Can it Fox."

"So that just leaves Neptune, Sun, Cardin and Russel. You guys ok together?" Jaune asked. Sun and Neptune both gave thumbs up, and the other two boys, who had been quiet for quite some time, gave small nods.

"That's that. I say we start after eating." Pyrrha suggested.

"Oh please. I could die from hunger right about now." Yang said dramatically.

"Sis, we all know that's not gonna happen." Ruby retorted.

"It could. But I'm more worried about Miss Picky over there." Yang gave a thumb towards Weiss.

"Hey! You just assume that!" Weiss exclaimed, standing up.

"In the cafeteria back at Beacon you made special care to avoid Cauliflower."

"You- You can't prove that!" Weiss stuck her chin up and folded her arms. Blake couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Ruby, on the other hand, was rolling on the floor.

After a short while, the conversation around the table died down as they waited for food. Blake once again put her nose in her book. Cardin put his feet up on the table, much to the chagrin of Weiss and Coco. Sun looked like he was falling back asleep, Yang as well.

The metal doors suddenly flew open and out came Ren in cook's attire, a fancy white hat, and an apron to go with it. He was moving an entire cart's worth of food, varying from sushi to sunny side eggs to, of course, pancakes. Blake caught Yang beginning to drool at all the scrumptiousness.

Velvet was right behind Ren, her tray carrying almost the same stuff as Ren's, except for one tray with a metal cover.

Ren and Velvet began laying all the food onto the table. Blake was impressed two people could make a feast for all of them.

"Wow, Ren and Velvet cook like pros!" Jaune gave a thumbs up in approval.

"N-No, this is mostly Ren's cooking. I- I just helped with the smaller things." Velvet interjected.

Ren grabbed the tray and placed it on the table. "That's not true. This was hers."

"Ah! N-No!" Velvet protested as Ren removed the lid. On it was the most delicious carrot cake Blake had ever seen.

"Carrot cake? You're adorable Velv." Coco couldn't help but laugh.

"My- My mother cooked everything with carrots." Velvet replied with drooped ears.

"No no. It's just I should have expected it." Coco added with a smile.

"Wow, she really put carrots in everything." Yang muttered, noticing the sheer amount of carrot peoples' diets would now contain.

"I'm- I'm Sorry!" Velvet cried out, tears in the corner of her eyes. However, Blake saw the smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4: Incentive

**Perhaps the most difficult part about this project is characterizing those who haven't appeared in the show yet. For Velvet, Fox and Coco, I'm pretty much going by Caffeine's lyrics. In my head I pretty much see Fox as the witty asshole, and Coco tries to be motherly, perhaps overly protective of Velvet.**

**As for Cardin, You'll see later how I stretch him a bit, simply because of how little screen time he had.**

**And for Russel, There's a reason you don't see him much :D. I don't know what to do with him.**

**Anyway, that's enough insider info. You're hear to simply watch all the characters break, not my struggles.**

**Enjoy another Chapter thanks to Pyroheaven's editing! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 4: **_Incentive_

* * *

"SUUUUNN! We need your help! It's an emergency!" Coco glanced away from the dusty wooden door she was inspecting, hoping to see Ruby zipping over to Sun and his group.

"Woah, calm down there Ruby," Sun replied, overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the energetic girl. She was bouncing up and down, like a child waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. "What's the problem?" Coco still wasn't sure whether there was actually an emergency.

"It's Blake. We can't find her!" _Ok maybe this is an actual emergency._ Coco motioned to Fox, who was currently leaning against the wall looking bored out of his mind, and Velvet, who was staring blankly towards the metal door. At Coco's beckon, Velvet jolted out of her daydream, smiled, and turned to follow Coco.

"Alright, slow down, and start from square one," Coco stepped toward the group. Neptune was right behind Sun, and Cardin and Russel were standing close by, although they weren't paying any attention to the commotion.

"Ok, so we started exploring the school, and we all went to find maybe a way out or something, so we looked but couldn't find anything, then Weiss proposed to me. I mean, Weiss proposed that we go explore the rooms and we visited the computer lab then the kitchen then we got to the library and Yang and I turned around for two seconds and POOF! She was gone and we searched the library and she's not there." Ruby let out a gasp for air.

Fox raised an eyebrow in amusement. "That was your idea of a slow explanation?" Coco shot him an annoyed look, and turned to see how well Sun had digested the storm of information that Ruby had just shot out. Personally, Coco didn't think she knew Blake well enough to be of much use.

"Did you knock on her door?" Ruby shook her head side to side. Sun let out a big sigh. "She's in her room. She probably found a book that looked really cool and locked herself up to read it." Fox couldn't help but laugh his horribly obnoxious laugh. Coco sighed, relieved.

Relieved? Was she assuming the worst case scenario? Coco realized that Monobear may have been getting into their heads more effectively than she thought. Constantly tense, always on guard, expecting the worst out of her comrades. It seemed Monobear was getting to her as well.

She shook it off and looked back up to see Ruby zip off towards the dorms. She turned back to Sun and Neptune.

"You guys come here. I've got something to show you."

Coco led them to the metal door she had been investigating earlier. Penny, who Coco had nearly forgotten was there, had squatted, and was now rubbing her hands on the door. Upon Coco's arrival, Penny stood up and gave her over-the-top greeting.

"Salutations! I see you've brought others to show what we found."

"Yes, yes we did. Did you finish uncovering most of it?"

"Yes. It is most interesting how it was covered over." Penny stepped aside. Neptune scratched the back of his head.

"Uh, isn't this just a wood door? What's so special?"

"It isn't a wooden door." Coco said as she stepped toward the door. "It's actually a steel door, painted to look like a wooden one. Still doesn't open, but that's not all. Come here and look."

Neptune walked over to the door, and stooped down before letting out a small gasp.

"It's writing. There's writing down here!" However, his excitement dwindled as he began to read it.

"Is this in, what I think it's in?" Neptune nervously asked as he shakily put his hand on the wall.

"Yep. Blood." Fox replied.

Cardin and Russel stepped forward to get a better look.

"No hope? The Ursa knows all? Succumb to the terror?" Russel began to read the writing aloud. "All of them say we're doomed…" Velvet visibly shivered.

"Yea, they aren't the most enthusiastic scribblings I've seen." Fox chimed in.

"But it tells us something very important." Coco stared at the others. "We aren't the first ones here. And Monobear doesn't want us to know."

"Or he likes to keep the asylum stylish."

"Fox, shut up." Coco let out a sigh. Before the conversation could continue, the sound of the intercom interrupted it.

"Ahhh, I think it's time for a class meeting! Everyone to the gym. If you don't, I'll have to kill you! Upupupupu!"

The intercom buzzed off, and Coco let out an even bigger sigh.

* * *

Sure enough, Sun was right about where the missing cat-fauna was. As Coco stepped into the gym, she caught sight of Blake with a new book in her hand. Sun was trying to strike up a conversation with her, but at the moment it seemed Sun would be better off talking to the wall.

All sixteen of the hunters and huntresses showed up. Coco inwardly felt … relieved, as odd as it sounded to her, to see all of them present. Fox gave a smirk, and Coco felt the intense urge to slap the cocky prick. _Man, he knows how to piss people off._ Coco, as much as she would love to hit him, resisted the urge.

"Upupuu! Everyone is here! Good!" Out from behind the pedestal Monobear appeared, his red eye gleaming. "I hope you had plenty of time to explore my school. It's quite beautiful if I do say! And I hope you all realized," Monobear's gleaming eye narrowed, "that there is no escape. So rejoice! Succumb to the inner voice you so want to ignore! Feast on the weak-minded! Upupu!"

"You sound like a madman." Jaune spoke up.

"Correction. I'm a madBEAR Upupu!" Coco groaned at his terrible sense of humor, in fact much of the room groaned at that. Except Yang, who had a big smile on her face as if she was proud of that joke.

"Anyway, I did not call of you just so I can gloat and insult you." Monobear continued.

"Isn't that ALL you do?" Weiss retorted, but Monobear simply ignored it.

"I've arranged a little introduction for all of you. It's nothing like homework or all that other boring school stuff. It's a little video to give you a little… Incentive."

For a stuffed bear, Coco had to admit that it sent chills down her spine on occasion. Coco could feel everyone shift uncomfortably around, but no one spoke against him. It was as if they had accepted some subconscious rule that Monobear was in fact the alpha. Coco didn't want to believe it, and as much as she wanted to rip the stuffing out of the doll, she recalled the writing on the wall.

"Anyway! Let's all go to the computer lab, and show you what happens should you retaliate against me, Upupu!" Monobear clapped his hands together. He hopped off the pedestal and began marching towards the door. Everyone else, however, hesitated. Not only was the sight a bit ridiculous, but was following Monobear the right thing to do?

Blake and Pyrrha were the first to begin leaving, and as soon as the two girls began to head out the others followed suit.

As the group walked down the corridor, Coco noticed Ruby had snuck up beside her, awkwardly trying to grab her attention.

"Uh, Coco, just letting you know, some of us are getting impatient around Monobear. My big sis may lose her temper soon, and I'm pretty sure Weiss is trying to find a way to break the stuffed bear."

Coco sighed. She knew Ruby meant well, as she was reporting to the leader. _Former Leader._

"I suggest telling them not to do that. We don't know what Monobear can do. Also," Coco tried to put on a late smile. "You don't need to report to me. We're all equal now." And with that, Ruby hopped back towards her sister.

_We're not equal because we want to be._

* * *

Within a few moments, the sixteen students had arrived at the computer lab. Coco and the others found rows of older computers, unlike anything they had seen at Beacon. Their large, bulky forms seemed very primitive.

Each of the hunters and huntresses had a computer labeled just for them. Coco sat down, and grabbed the set of headphones nearby.

"Hope this changes your mind" Was the last thing Coco heard Monobear say as her video began.

At first, it was nothing but an image. It was an image of Velvet, smiling at the camera. She wore that timid yet bright smile, and looked genuinely happy. Light-hearted music played in the back as it zoomed out slowly. Coco began to look more closely at the image. She began scouring the details, searching for something off.

Coco never caught the subtle change in the music tone. It twisted into something dark, downright creepy. And that is when Coco noticed the change. Slow at first, Velvet began to change. Her brown, beautiful straight hair began to darken, lengthen, and became mangled, twisted. Her eyes, darkening as well, began to sleek back, and lose their round, innocent shape. Her limbs grew longer, her nails grew into grotesque claws. Her skin began to be replaced by fur blacker than night. Her armor began to fade into her fur, being replaced by white, bone-like material. Velvet's face, once adorable, had been twisted. Her eyes, once a dark brown, shifted to blood red, and lost all notion of humanity. Her expression twisted into a snarl, only looking for hatred, for food. For revenge.

As the image neared completion, one word was plastered over it: Failure.

Coco realized as soon as the image stopped, that she had forgotten how to breathe. She couldn't get air down her throat. She could only glance around, and see the others reacting much the same. Russel was frozen in fear. Cardin visibly shaking. Ruby's shoulders shrunk. Yang looked equally mad and frightened, her hair letting small sparks out. Jaune was wide-eyed, Pyrrha looked stone-cold. Nora looked vacant. Ren, his eyes fierce, but also very hesitant. Weiss looked like she had seen a ghost. Blake, as if she had seen hell. Fox looked as if he had been stabbed in the heart. Sun held his head in his hands, and Neptune appeared to be on the verge of tears. Penny, however, didn't look too shaken.

Coco didn't dare look over to her left. She knew her heart couldn't take the sight of Velvet. Not now. Not after that. She felt everything jump down her throat, and at the same time her stomach wanted everything out. She could only barely etch out the words she wanted to say.

"What, was that?"


	5. Chapter 5: Tension

**Hello! Sorry for such the delay on this chapter. Reality put a wrench into my writing schedule.**

**Plus, The hardest character for me to write for is Weiss, hands down. I find her hard to balance her attitude with actually caring for her teammates.**

**Anyway, Enjoy!**

**Also Thanks Pyroheaven for sticking it out and editing a longer chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: **_Tension_

* * *

I stand in front of a crowd, stretching as far as the eye can see. Hatred flows, transmitted as a cacophony of slurs, insults, and jeering. Faunus and Humans alike are there, their unbound rage directed toward me.

I stand upon a stage, my hands shackled. I feel like livestock as a hand shoves me from behind. I stumble forward, shaking in fear. The same hand that pushed me forward now grasps my hair, and forces my head down onto a table.

I look up, the crowd sees my tear-ridden face. Someone near the stage spits on me. Stones begin to rain, and one hits my temple. An unbearable ringing sound begins to deafen me, and drowns out the hatred. I feel almost at ease, for the spiteful uproar has stopped.

Suddenly a single voice rings out.

"-Will be executed for Treason, and crimes against Humans and Faunus." The crowd stirs into an uproar. I can hear the beginning of a chant, but I can't make out what they're saying. I try to lift my head, and all I see is a man standing beside me. In his hand? An executioner's axe.

The ringing gets worse.

* * *

Deep down, Weiss truly did not want to believe anything she had just seen. Even more so, she didn't want to believe Monobear would follow through on his threats. She couldn't fathom such baseless and unrelenting violence occurring, for as far as Weiss could see, no reason at all.

She didn't consider it denial. She wasn't denying the present reality. She wanted to call it optimism, that she could see some light in this hell.

Then again, after what she just saw, she didn't know what to make of the whole thing anymore. Who gains from this twisted game? Could Ozpin truly be testing his students? Weiss didn't think that was the case. Ozpin wouldn't be the type of man for a test as cruel as this. Initiation was certainly an, interesting exam, but that was a Darwin-like test. If students weren't cut out for Beacon, initiation was how Ozpin weeded them out.

_I don't disagree with that line of thinking_. She didn't think Initiation was too harsh. It was simply a reality test. Monobear, however, was far past survival of the fittest. This felt like the gates of Hell. _No, even worse._ _ It's cutting off your arm in hopes to stay alive._

A finger prod dragged Weiss out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Ruby passing a plate of food to her. Weiss gave a small nod to her teammate, and cautiously took the plate.

After watching personal hell itself, Monobear led the students to the Cafeteria, proudly declaring he had prepared a celebratory dinner. _Just what are we celebrating?_

Monobear disappeared, claiming he had "Principal Duties," and Weiss watched the atmosphere implode on itself. It became stifling; there was no conversation, no eye contact. Weiss had regressed into her own thoughts, and she didn't doubt the others had as well. _Everyone had most likely seen their worst nightmare. _

The food was delicious even for Weiss' tastes, although the meal lacked anything a meal with friends usually had. Jaune hadn't eaten a morsel, and Pyrrha was eyeing Jaune cautiously, but she made no effort to talk to the blonde. Sun was nibbling on a banana, staring off into space. Cardin was visibly shaking with his fists clenched, and Coco had a look that even frightened Weiss.

Silence was both their greatest refuge, and their own destruction. No one wanted it, but everyone felt the need to maintain the status quo.

"Jeez, feels like our last meals." Fox broke the silence, fit with a smirk at the end of his asinine comment. Weiss gave an incredulous look at her upperclassman. She had never really interacted with him, but Weiss began to see some similarities between him and Jaune. That seemingly uncaring attitude, the need to lighten up the mood with humor. The only thing that Jaune had that Fox didn't was a crippling lack of self-confidence.

_Oh, and he's a bit of an asshole._ Weiss didn't dislike Jaune. Sure, she may have rejected him numerous times, but that was simply because she wasn't interested in him. She didn't doubt Jaune was a great guy, selflessly helping others out. But Fox gave off the complete opposite impression, this feeling. Was it anger? Was it pity?

_Disgust._ Weiss saw the arrogance, perhaps a crude mirror of herself, in him.

"You killed a dead atmosphere. Congratulations." Weiss scoffed and Fox's smirk widened. _He's insufferable!_ Fox let out a small laugh.

"Why don't we just stop this?" Yang's voice cut like a knife through the air. All eyes turned to the blonde, and Weiss could see sparks beginning in her hair. "Why are we just letting Monobear control everything? Why are we just sitting here? Why don't we stop him?!"

"Well, he did steal our weapons. If we could get those back…" Neptune nervously answered.

"Do we NEED our weapons? Are you saying the sixteen of us can't take down ONE TEDDY BEAR?" Yang stood up, her eyes a bright red, fury filling every ounce of her body. "I'm not sitting around and waiting for this. I'm not playing his goddamn game!"

"I'm kinda with Yang." Sun piped up.

"I think that's incredibly rash and quite frankly, stupid."

"I'm not going to stand here and let Monobear play with us like goddamn puppets Weiss!" Yang punched the table, launching splinters of wood into the air. It wasn't enough to break, but still frightening all the same. "Tell me, are you just going to let this happen, or do you want to stop it?"

"Of course I want to stop this incredibly-" Weiss was cut off with a hand from Blake.

"Yang, we don't know anything about this. Charging headstrong is just reckless."

"Aren't you tired of being pushed around?" Yang gave a fierce look towards Blake.

"Yang, I'm saying we know nothing-"

"WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING! WE JUST NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT!" Yang brought her fist down again, splitting the table clean in two. Flames erupted from her hair, and Ruby, who had been beside her, stepped back in shock. Blake took a deep breath and stared the fire dragon in the face with cold, calculated eyes.

"Yang, we can't possibly fight weaponless and no information on who, or what Monobear is. That's suicide." Blake paused, making sure Yang's fury was subsiding. "I'm not saying we don't find a way to stop Monobear, or escape. But right now, what are you going to do? If Monobear walked in the door right now, what would you do?"

"I… I…"

"Do you even know what Monobear is? What if when you destroyed that doll, another would just appear?"

Yang's words appeared to be caught in her throat, as if the cat Faunus had caught the blonde's tongue. Blake eased up on her assault.

"Yang, I'm not saying we stop, but-"

"Slow down. I know." Yang interrupted as she sat back down, flashing a small smile.

"Isn't it just a stuffed doll? It can't be that hard to punch out," Sun said as an aside to Neptune, but loud enough so everyone could hear it. Neptune gave a small snicker at the jibe.

"Sun, if you truly believe it's a doll, that's worrying." Blake glared at the monkey. "It's pretty obvious someone is behind all of this, and they're simply using Monobear as their figurehead. The real culprits probably have some reason or motive for this cruel game."

"Well, duh. I totally knew that."

"Anyway, the most important thing we need to learn," Blake said, addressing the others, "is who is behind Monobear. That would be our smartest option."

"Our weapons are a second priority then?" Pyrrha asked.

"I think so. Killing the stuffed bear is probably the worst thing we could do." Silence filled the room for a brief moment, but it was fleeting.

"It's easy. We know who is behind this." Cardin spoke up for the first time. Weiss, and almost everyone else, turned in surprise. Cardin shrugged his shoulders.

"It's obviously the White Fang."

"What makes you say that?" Ruby questioned Cardin, who simply shrugged his shoulders again.

"Isn't it obvious? This is something those scum would do." Cardin answered as if it was the most obvious conclusion.

"I… I don't believe it's the White Fang." Blake responded. Weiss heard a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"It has to be! Who else would do something so damn awful?" Cardin's voice began to rise in anger.

"I'm saying this is nothing like how the White Fang operates."

"And how do you know? Are you one of them?" Weiss watched Blake's shoulders hunch up, as if she was trying to retreat into herself.

"I… I have dealt with them before. And they aren't like this. They're ruthless, cruel, and straightforward. They don't beat around the bush, they go straight for the throat. He's brutal…"

"He?" Jaune innocently asked. Blake put her hand to her mouth, wanting to take back those words.

"The… The leader of the White Fang…" Blake said, causing Cardin to stand up hastily.

"So you know the leader of the White Fang? That's scary. And I'm not sure I'm ok trusting you Blake! What if you're just here to keep an eye on us? You're probably working with Monobear!" Cardin pointed an accusatory finger at Blake, who shuddered, but then her voice rose in protest.

"No! That's ridiculous if you think that I'm working with them!" Blake rose from her chair in anger.

"But you can't prove you're not! I'm positive you're working with the Faunus scum!" Cardin's voice boomed.

Russel prodded Cardin's shoulder nervously. "Cardin, I don't think accusing her is helping-"

"Shut up, Russel. I think she's working with the White Fang, those goddamn lowlifes, fricking asses who resort to violence instead of speaking." Cardin rattled out insult after insult about the terrorist group. Weiss, however, noted that all the while Cardin had still been shaking. "Now we're stuck here," Cardin pointed exaggeratedly towards the cat Faunus. "Because she's a traitor!"

"No. No! I worked with the White Fang!" Blake screeched. _Cat's out of the bag now._ "But that was all in the past! I thought… I thought they were doing the right thing. But… But they changed, peaceful protests turned to armed robbery." Weiss could see tears beginning to form in the corners of Blake's eyes. "But this isn't their doing. It can't possibly be."

"Then why are you defending them?! See, I knew it! They are behind it!" Cardin howled in anger.

"Cardin, I think calming down-"Russel said.

"Russel, do you not see, are you blind?" Cardin gestured toward Blake, "She's a traitor! A liar! A murderer!" Russel hesitated to react, and after Cardin turned towards the others, she could see why Russel looked so conflicted. Cardin's eyes weren't normal, they looked off, hazed almost.

"They're all scum. Faunus just want to exterminate us!" Cardin continued to howl. No one else breathed, much less moved a muscle. Only Blake, who looked like she either wanted to run away and cry, or yell back at Cardin.

"Why is no one agreeing?! I'm right! She's nothing but a murdering Faunus!" That was the last comment Blake's ears could take. Tears streaming from her face, she turned tail and darted out the door.

"Why isn't anyone stopping her?" Cardin lashed out at the others. Russel nervously stepped back from the seemingly mad-man. "We need to go after her!" He began to head towards the door.

"Cardin, Cardin! Calm down!" Russel again tried to stop Cardin, but this time it was met with a fist. Russel felt the air forced out of his lungs, as he struggled to stand up. He was caught by Jaune.

At this point, Weiss could clearly see the large boy trembling. Even as he lashed out at his friend, he still looked as if he was afraid. His blood was on fire, but there was fear rooted in his mind.

"It's the Faunus! Those filthy degenerates!" Cardin's eyes swept the room, landing on the only other Faunus in the room.

"YOU! You're probably working with them!" Velvet could only let out a shrill scream as Cardin approached. He lashed his arm out, aiming for the rabbit Faunus' throat; however, it never made it near her throat. Coco viciously grabbed the boy's wrist and twisted it hard. Weiss swore she could hear the bones cracking. With brutish force, Coco twisted Cardin's arm so it was behind his back, as far away from her Velvet's throat as possible, while still remaining attached to his shoulder.

Cardin began to thrash violently, trying to break free from Coco's hold. He was like an animal being held down, savagely attempting to reach for Velvet, a wild carnal look in his eyes.

Russel at some point had stood up, and tried to calm Cardin down a third time, but all he got in response was guttural noises. It took nearly a full minute for Cardin to begin to show signs of giving up struggling.

Weiss could feel the trust of each and every one of them cracking. Her mother had told her trust was very much like a mirror, and she knew all too well the feeling of a broken mirror. Cracks were beginning to form between each of them, and once they spread too far, someone would cross the line.

After seeing Ruby's crestfallen face, Yang's sorrowful look, and Jaune's look of pity, Weiss felt that being here was not going to help ease anyone at all.

"I'm going to check on Blake. To make sure she's alright."

Without another word, Weiss began to stride toward the door. She felt another crack form on the mirror.

* * *

_If I was Blake, where would I go?_ Weiss asked herself as she stepped into the library. At first, Weiss tried Blake's room, but after a few minutes of silence, she figured Blake wasn't there. _If I was Blake, where would I go?_ Weiss asked herself. _The Library!_

Weiss was right in her assumption that the Faunus would be holed up in the library. She was seated in the corner farthest from the door, sitting in a comfy chair. Her midnight black hair was now unkempt, the bow hastily tied back together. Her nose was in another book, but Weiss caught the amber eyes taking note of Weiss's arrival.

Weiss carefully grabbed a chair from a nearby table, and took a seat across from the cat Faunus. Silence filled the room. Weiss didn't want to begin the conversation, but it seemed Blake was ever so insistent on not talking to her.

"Blake," Weiss began softly. Blake's eyes flicked quickly to the heiress and back to the book. "How's the book?"

"Oh, so you came just to ask that." She replied dryly.

"No Blake. I came because I'm worried. About you, and everyone else." Weiss paused briefly, hoping that the Faunus would just put down the book and listen to her. "I know you aren't the most, open individual, and having your past dragged out of you must be painful." Weiss put a hand on the other's shoulder. She knew she wasn't exactly the most skilled in comforting others, but she knew that not reaching out at all would be worse. "I don't think anyone out there will see you any different. They all trust you for your character, not your background."

Blake finally put the book down between her knees, and gave Weiss a forlorn look. "Weiss, all I do is run. From my past, from others, and just now. I ran from Cardin."

"To be fair, I also wanted to run." Weiss cut in. After a brief moment of silence, "Look, I'm just worried about you… as a teammate, and a friend."

Blake looked at the heiress for a long time, before a small smile appeared. "Thanks, Weiss."

"But you were really hard on Yang. I think that was-"

"It was the only way I knew how to calm her down." Blake cut her off. "She was very upset, and that was my best way of calming her down. She was just extremely nervous."

"We all were after…" Weiss's voice trailed off, and she turned to look at the surrounding bookshelves. She realized she didn't want to try and dig up what anyone saw in there. "Anyway, are you certain about what you said? About it not being the White Fang?"

"Do you trust me Weiss?" After Weiss gave an affirmative nod, Blake continued. "I know the White Fang isn't involved in this. This is nothing like them. He. Adam, I mean."

"Adam is?"

Blake sighed. "Adam is my old mentor. He taught me fighting as a child, and now, He's the leader of the White Fang."

"So you do know the bastard." Weiss couldn't stop herself from letting that out. Blake's face showed hints of pain.

"He's why I left. He's too violent. But he's also straightforward. He'd rather kill us by himself than set up Monobear's little game." Blake let out a breath as if a weight had lifted off her chest.

"I see. I guess that makes sense." Weiss took a moment before standing up. Blake remained seated, giving the heiress a cat-like stare.

"We should head back." Weiss cocked her head towards the door. Blake remained staring into Weiss's blue eyes.

_This is kind of too much!_ Blake, after what Weiss considered way too long, put the book down and stood up.

"Oh here, let me fix your bow." Weiss motioned for Blake to spin around. Blake hesitantly turned around, and Weiss began to deftly fix the bow. She accidently brushed against one of Blake's cat ears, sending the girl shivering, nearly jolting out of her own skin.

"Sorry." Weiss apologized as she finished up fixing the bow. Blake gave a quick inspection of the bow.

"I'm ok." She replied softly as she began to head towards the exit.

"Hey! Aren't you forgetting a thank you?" Weiss called out to now-leaving Blake. "Hey! Wait up!" She began striding towards the door.

"Oh. Thank you." Blake gave a quick glance back, waiting for Weiss to catch up.

_Well, one crack has been fixed._


End file.
